Tinley Park ‘Squatter’ Found Guilty, Finally

Michele Parker had quite the deal going, living in a lovely Tinley Park home rent- and mortgage-free for two years.

Lauren Traut,Patch Staff

Posted Wed, Jun 5, 2024 at 2:52 pm CT

TINLEY PARK, IL — Nearly a decade after a woman was outed for “squatting” in a Tinley Park home for two years, a judge finally found her guilty.

Michele Parker, who lived in the house on Mallow Street rent- and mortgage-free, was convicted on May 13 of burglary, theft and providing false information, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed to Patch.

Parker’s squatting saga made headlines in April 2015, as the property’s owner made a push to get her out of the house she and her two daughters had been living in for two years. Robert Moss, of A. Tarraf Construction, said the company bought the property as an investment in November 2014, Patch previously reported, in a neighborhood where homes typically were selling for upwards of $350,000 at the time. Moss and his business partner buy and flip homes, with realtor Moss then listing the homes for sale.

After Moss and his partner took possession of the home, they tried to expedite her departure—including offering her $5,000 to be out in seven days, Moss told Patch. But nothing short of eviction seemed to work.

They took her to court, where she claimed to have a lease in place with a rent of $1,500 per month. Parker reportedly couldn’t provide any documentation of said lease. Then again, in the final hour, Parker pulled another ace out of her sleeve, saying she was housing an ill elderly woman confined to a wheelchair. Social Services then stepped in, further delaying her leaving the premises.

“She was just really slick, and she came across very professional,” Moss told Patch. “… And played the victim the whole way through.

“… She knew how to play this game.”

Parker was eventually evicted, and she relocated to Country Club Hills, a source close to the case said, but it took a court nearly 10 years to convict. Cook County Judge Thomas Byrne found her guilty last month.

Parker wasn’t the first squatter he’s dealt with, and she won’t be the last. They offered her more than the typical amount for her to leave, Moss said, but it wasn’t enough.

“It’s usually not $5,000—it’s usually $1,000, $1,500—usually that works,” Moss said. “But with her, she didn’t even want $5,000.

“She was definitely the worst one I ever had to deal with. … She knew she could be in there forever.

“It was terrible … a lot of time involved, money on attorneys. She dragged us back to court with some other BS story.”

She had been in the home before Moss and his partner owned it, and they weren’t sure how her time there began. The home could have rented for $2,500 a month at the time, Moss said. For the five months he owned it prior to her eviction, Moss estimates Parker’s freeloading cost him approximately $12,500.

“I don’t know how she got into that home,” he said. “The way they do this, they get into a home, and as long as there is a piece of furniture in that home, you call the police, the police can’t do anything about it, because they don’t know if the lease is legitimate or not. That’s why it takes so long—it has to go through the court system.”

It’s not as simple as telling the “squatter” to leave, or changing the locks, Moss said. The only way landlords or property owners can legally remove a squatter from the property is to follow standard Illinois eviction laws.

Moss said he continues to deal with squatters, ballparking the total number at 10 in the last 15 years. While the solutions might seem simple to many, they’re just not, Moss said.

“You can’t go shut their electric off, their water—you can’t do that, or you’ll get arrested,” Moss said. “It doesn’t work that way.”

Parker was taken into custody after the verdict was delivered. Moss was astonished to learn of the conviction reached after so much time. It’s an outcome he doesn’t often see in similar scenarios.

“I’m absolutely shocked,” Moss said. “I’m happy—hats off to these guys, they’re actually doing their jobs, and that’s the way it should be.

“I’m glad to see something’s being done about it.”

Parker’s sentencing is set for Monday, June 10.